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Mobile Fidelity - MFSL 1-328 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl 

Pure Analogue Mastered by Rob Lo Verde  from the Original Master Tape at MFSL

AAA 100% Analogue - Numbered Limited Edition -  Pressed at RTI  

Half Speed Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity The Gain 2 Ultra Analog System

AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only, from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head 

"Mobile Fidelity’s ultra-pure playback chain is the ideal conduit for this precise production and the resulting LP  both opulent and lush sounding without sacrificing transient speed and inner detail." - Michael Fremer

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Used The Original 1/4" Analog Master Tapes To Master This Classic 1981 Album

“Albums with this kind of stylistic magnitude, close-up intimacy, and emotional intensity come around only once or so a decade. Remastered from the original analog master tapes, MoFi’s limited-edition LP captures every nuance of this great-sounding studio masterpiece.

Rickie Lee Jones' gorgeous-sounding 1981 album finally remastered!

"Rickie Lee Jones' Pirates arrives like a cloudburst in the desert of Eighties formula pop music and recycled heavy-metal rock.” So wrote Stephen Holden in Rolling Stone in his five-star review of the eclectic artist’s sophomore album, a set that continues to defy eras and styles. While less-well known than her 1979 self-titled debut, the ambitious 1981 record remains Jones’ definitive statement — an effort steeped in biographical details, fictional circumstances, and classic literary elements.

Narratively blending West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet while also exploring spirit worlds and her breakup with Tom Waits, Pirates is at its core an idiosyncratic fusion of possibilities. And does Jones deliver! Accompanied by an all-star lineup that includes trumpeter Randy Brecker, Steely Dan icon Donald Fagen, drumming colossus Steve Gadd, session pro Victor Feldman, and legendary jazz arranger Ralph Burns, the singer-songwriter achieves a musical nirvana that encompasses post-bop, coffeehouse folk, bohemian pop, romantic soul, Beat poetry, and Broadway showtunes.

Harmonized vocals and jive talking bring the piano-based record’s rich characters to life, making it seem as if listeners are overhearing conversations between strangers. In more than one way, Pirates is a self-contained theatrical production in which Jones’ singing is the star attraction. Her moody whispers, cries, and coos are the voices of spurned lovers, alienated outcasts, and unlikely heroines. Albums with this kind of stylistic magnitude, close-up intimacy, and emotional intensity come around only once or so a decade. 

Mobile Fidelity is proud to have had the opportunity to remaster Pirates from the original analog master tapes and produce a version that captures every nuance of this great-sounding studio masterpiece. Co-produced by Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker (whose long list of credits include Randy Newman, James Taylor, and Eric Clapton records), trust us when we say that this 180-gram LP is one of the finest-sounding pop records you’ll hear. Fans of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, Carole King, and Sarah Vaughan should consider this requisite listening.

"Jones as usual, assembled an all-star supporting cast including the likes of Tom Scott, David Sanborn, Donald Fagen and Randy Brecker. In contrast to today's albums with 16 tracks and 2 listenable songs, Pirates has eight outstanding songs with the likes of "We Belong Together, Living it Up, Lucky Guy, Pirates and Skeletons." - Myles B. Astor, Positive-Feedback.com, Issue 49

"Mobile Fidelity’s ultra-pure playback chain is the ideal conduit for this precise production and the resulting LP and SACD are both opulent and lush sounding without sacrificing transient speed and inner detail." - Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com, Music 8, Sound 10

Alto Saxophone – David Sanborn
Bass – Chuck Rainey
Drums – Art Rodriguez &  Steve Gadd
Guitar – Buzzy Feiten, David Kalish , Dean Parks, Steve Lukather
Keyboards – Clarence McDonald, Neil Larsen, Randy Kerber , Rickie Lee Jones, Russell Ferrante
Percussion – Lenny Castro, Victor Feldman
Percussion – Steve Gadd
Synthesizer – Donald Fagen , Michael Boddicker, Rickie Lee Jones, Rob Mounsey
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Tom Scott
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker
Vocals – Arno Lucas , Joe Turano  Leslie Smith  Rickie Lee Jones, Sal Bernardi

Selections:
1. We Belong Together
2. Living It Up
3. Skeletons
4. Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking
5. Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)
6. A Lucky Guy
7. Traces of the Western Slopes
8. The Returns

GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.

RTI HQ-180 Vinyl

Record Technology is a world class record pressing plant located in Camarillo, California. We have been operating since 1974, pressing for most audiophile record labels and for many quality minded independent and major record labels from around the world.